A Hunger for Normalcy
My recent trip to Florida was glorious for one simple reason: it was normal.
You see, I had been hungering for a friendly social gathering for months - any gathering involving family, friends, business colleagues or old classmates would do.
I had been hungering for the simple ability to freely assemble with my fellow humans, as I did routinely before COVID struck.
My family is still smarting over the loss of our Thanksgiving feast. For the first time in six decades, my parents’ house wasn’t packed full of 30 to 40 people.
My holiday dinner last fall involved me showing up with Thanksgiving takeout for four.
We did count our many blessings. We were all healthy and well. But it was surreal to be in such an empty house eating processed turkey and stuffing.
This spring, as the COVID vaccines are being rolled out, our family gatherings began to approach normalcy.
My mother and father were able to host a modest Easter event attended mainly by family members who had got their COVID shots.
All of us were thankful to finally be able to enjoy some semblance of social “normality” again.
But it wasn’t until I flew to Florida recently to visit a few high school pals that I was reminded of how enjoyable our pre-COVID lives were.
...continued
Copyright 2021 Tom Purcell, All Rights Reserved. Credit: Cagle.com
